Top 5 Albums of 2015 #guelphmusicclub

Hey! What’s up? Been about a year or so since we’ve seen each other – you look great! So here we are for another 2015 wrap up, #guelphmusicclub stylez. This is a much more pared down version than last year – you get it all in one lovely, musical shot. So without further adieu, here are the albums that rocked my world in 2015:

1. Compton, Dr. Dre
Ho. Lee. Shit. This album has been in regular (daily) rotation since it dropped this summer. I played it often, and I played it LOUDLY. (My neighbours probably didn’t enjoy it as much, but I had to listen to their asshole parrot screaming all summer, so I call it a wash.) There are a few parts that really didn’t sit well with me as a female, and if you were to look at my listening history it appears I’ve never fully listened to Loose Cannons more than a few times. Unnecessary, gratuitous violence that imo didn’t add anything of value, but maybe I just don’t understand because I’ve never even been close to a city like Compton. Anyway, the rest of the album gets serious love. Guest spots by Kendrick Lamar spitting absolute fire, Snoop, Ice Cube, The Game, Xzibit…top songs for me: All In a Day’s Work (feat. Anderson.Paak & Marsha Ambrosius) and Darkside/Gone (feat. King Mez, Marsha Ambrosius and Kendrick Lamar – and a throwback shoutout to Eazy-E!). No official videos, but check the stream of the first song I mentioned.

2. To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar
This kid will change the world. He sings about his own reality, but there’s serious insight there too about the world at large, and he comes out swinging on a lot of tracks. Even if you don’t like this genre or his language, keep an eye on him. He gets it.

3. Yours Dreamily, The Arcs
K, so based on picks 1 and 2 you prolly thought this was going to be another hip hop album, right? Let me stop you right there – my music interests cannot be summarized into one category. Throw my library on shuffle and you’ll probably be confused, but you’ll be so busy dancing you won’t really care. 🙂 So when Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney broke his arm, frontman Dan Auerbach just couldn’t sit still and thank god for that. The Arcs contain some of the rock sound we know and love from the Black Keys, but it sounds a bit grittier, a bit less commercial than some of his other projects. And I love this – they used an all-female mariachi band on a lot of the tracks. I’m so bummed I wasn’t able to make their Toronto show a few weeks’ back – hopefully Auerbach’s insatiable love of the road brings them back through Toronto (or Guelph!) again.

25, Adele
Even coming late to the 2015 party, Adele gets major love. I shouldn’t have to explain this choice, really. If her voice doesn’t move you, ever, then YOU MUST BE DEAD INSIDE OR SOMETHING. Nuff said.

5. Pagans in Vegas, Metric
I was on the fence about my final pick (up against The Dead Weather, Lana Del Ray) – but I give the honour to Metric after seeing them live in Elora (yah, Elora!) this past summer. Emily Haines is a fricking goddess and on that steamy night in August, she reignited my serious crush on her, so, yah. Thank you for that, babe. Muah.

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Farm Fresh Creative is the freelance writing business by Karen McCrae. The creation of Farm Fresh combines Karen’s two loves – writing and living the country life. Following an education at Mohawk College in Creative Advertising, Karen left the family farm to begin her career as a copywriter in Toronto. During her four years there, she worked on many accounts for brands at national, retail, and local levels. Her involvement with companies and organizations of varying sizes and audiences has helped her develop a talent for creating copy that engages and sells.